Southern Campaigns Pension Statements & Rosters

Pension application of James Gray S6928 f18NC Transcribed by Will Graves 3/16/07 rev'd 9/30/15 [Methodology: Spelling, punctuation and/or grammar have been corrected in some instances for ease of reading and to facilitate searches of the database. Where the meaning is not compromised by adhering to the spelling, punctuation or grammar, no change has been made. Corrections or additional notes have been inserted within brackets or footnotes. Blanks appearing in the transcripts reflect blanks in the original. A bracketed question mark indicates that the word or words preceding it represent(s) a guess by me. The word 'illegible' or 'indecipherable' appearing in brackets indicates that at the time I made the transcription, I was unable to decipher the word or phrase in question. Only materials pertinent to the military service of the veteran and to contemporary events have been transcribed. Affidavits that provide additional information on these events are included and genealogical information is abstracted, while standard, 'boilerplate' affidavits and attestations related solely to the application, and later nineteenth and twentieth century research requests for information have been omitted. I use speech recognition software to make all my transcriptions. Such software misinterprets my southern accent with unfortunate regularity and my poor proofreading skills fail to catch all misinterpretations. Also, dates or numbers which the software treats as numerals rather than words are not corrected: for example, the software transcribes "the eighth of June one thousand eighty six" as "the 8th of June 1786." Please call material errors or omissions to my attention.]

State of , Wilkes County: SS On this 27th day of July 1832 personally appeared before me James Martin a Justice of the peace for said County James Gray a resident of said County of Wilkes State of North Carolina aged sixty eight or nine years who being first duly sworn according to law doth on his oath make the following declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the act of Congress passed June 7th, 1832. That he entered the service of the under the following named officers and served as herein stated (to wit) he entered the service in the in Surry County North Carolina in the fall of the year 1778 under the command of Captain Samuel Johnson field officer was Major Hargroves [sic, Francis Hargrove] and was marched to Little River near Fayetteville North Carolina after the Scotch Tories who was commanded by McCloud [sic, Donald McLeod] from there he returned home to Surry County having served about three months. He entered the service again a volunteer in September 1780 in Captain Benjamin Herndon's company in the Regiment commanded by Colonel Benjamin Cleveland and was marched to Kings Mountain arrived there the day after the Battle [, October 7, 1780] was fought and was one of the guards that guarded the prisoners to Wilkes County Surry having been divided, the part he lived in called Wilkes and was dismissed having served at that term two months. He entered the service again in Captain Benjamin Herndon's company as a volunteer Horseman, under Colonel Benjamin Cleveland in the Summer of 1781 and was marched to the forks of the Yadkin [River] remained there about two weeks then was marched a little below Salisbury from there returned home making the term of one month. He then was sent by order of Colonel Benjamin Cleveland on an express to General Green [sic, Nathanael Greene] on the waters of Haw River North Carolina and was in service one week. He was then sent on an express by of order of Colonel Benjamin Cleveland to Colonel Martin Armstrong at Surry old Court House and was in service about one week. He entered the service again a volunteer under the command of Colonel Isaacs [] and was marched to Salisbury North Carolina from there down the Yadkin River to the mouth of Rocky River (after the Tories) from there he returned home having served at that term one month making the whole of his services in the militia in the revolutionary war about seven months and two weeks. He hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension or annuity except the present and declares that his name is not on the pension roll of the agency of any state. He further states that he is much afflicted with the cholick [sic] and a pain in his back which renders him incapable of riding without great pain and does not believe that he could attend Court to make his declaration without suffering very severely. He thinks he never had a discharge and was only dismissed at the end of each term if he was discharged he has lost them. He has no documentary evidence of his services but expects he can prove them in whole or in part by Sterling Rose and Captain Samuel Johnson.1 Interrogatories by the Justice 1st: When and in what year were you born? Answer: I was born in the State of Virginia, Amherst County in 1763. 2nd Have you any record of you age and if so, where is it? Answer: I have no record, but have kept my age from the account my father gave me. 3rd Where were you living when called into service? Where have you lived since the Revolutionary War and where do you now live? Answer: In Surry County N. C. when called into service and since the revolutionary war and lived in Wilkes at this time. 4th How were you called into service; were you drafted; did you volunteer, or were you a substitute and if so for whom did you substitute? Answer: I first substituted for Samuel Gray, the balance of the tours I volunteered except when sent on express and then by order of Colonel Benjamin Cleveland. 5th State the names of some of the Regular Officers who were with the troops where you served, such Continental and Militia Regiments as you can recollect and the general circumstances of your service. Answer: Colonel Benjamin Cleveland, Colonel Isaacs and Major Hargroves. The general circumstances of my services is already detailed above. 6th Did you ever receive a discharge from the service; and if so by whom was it given; and what has become of it? Answer: I never received a discharge and was dismissed without one. 7th State the names of persons to whom you are known in your present neighborhood, and who can testify to your character for veracity and good behavior and your services as a Soldier of the Revolution. Answer: Captain Benjamin Parks and Col. John Martin Senior can testify as to my character, their belief of my services will only be from what they have (illegible word). Sworn to and subscribed the day and year aforesaid. S/ Jas Gray

[Benjamin Parks and John Martin also gave a standard supporting affidavit.]

N. Carolina, Wilkes County This day personally appeared Sterling Rose of Wilkes County State of North Carolina aged about seven the five years before me James Martin a Justice of the peace for said County who being first duly sworn according to Law, doth state upon his oath, that he was well acquainted with the above applicant James Gray in the time of the revolutionary war and he served with him on the following tours as stated above. The tour to Little River after the Tories under McLeod. I was with him two months and then returned home and left him in the service

1 Samuel Johnson W5012 and believe he served one month longer. I was also with him the tour to Kings Mountain two months as above stated, and the tour to the fork of the Yadkin. I was with said applicant about two weeks, then returned home and left him in the service and believe he served at least two weeks longer. Sworn to and subscribed the seventh day of July 1832. S/ Sterling Rose2

S/ James Martin, J. P.

[p 12] North Carolina Wilkes County This day personally appeared James Gray the within applicant, before me James Martin one of the acting Justices of the peace for the County aforesaid and made oath in due form of Law that the reason why he did not get a clergyman to Certify to his knowledge or belief of his Services as a Soldier in the Revolutionary War, to the within declaration, was because he knew of no Clergyman that could Certified for him, there being only one in the neighborhood where he resides (to wit) the Reverend Jesse Adams and he at the time the within declaration was made and sworn to was lying sic of the Bilious fever and was not capable of doing any business, nor neither does he know if said Adams had been well enough that he could have certified anything as to my services he being too young to know anything of consequence about the Soldiers of the Revolution. Sworn to and subscribed this 3rd day of January 1833 S/ James Martin, JP S/ Jas. Gray

State of North Carolina Wilkes County: SS Personally appeared before me, the undersigned a Justice of the peace James Gray who being duly sworn deposeth and saith that by reason of old age and the Consequent loss of memory he cannot swear positively as to the precise length of his service; but according to the best of his recollection he served not less than the periods mentioned below and in the following grades – The tour he served as a Substitute for Samuel Gray in the fall of the year 1778 in the Company of Captain Samuel Johnson & was marched to Little River near Fayetteville after the Tories was not less than three months. – The service he rendered in Captain Benjamin Herndon's Company of Infantry in September 1780, in the tour to Kings Mountain was a term of not less than two months: and that the service he rendered in Captain Benjamin Herndon's Company of Horsemen in the summer of 1781 to the forks of the Yadkin & below Salisbury was a term of not less than one month, – the time he served when sent on an express to General Greene, and to Colonel Martin Armstrong as stated in his declaration was not less than two weeks, – And that the tour he served as a volunteer under the Command of Colonel Isaacs and was marched to Rocky River after the Tories was not less than one month, making in all the service he rendered

2 Sterling Rose S4132 as a private soldier in the revolutionary (War) a term of not less than seven months and two weeks, and for such Service I Claim a pension. Sworn to and subscribed this 8th day of June 1833 before me S/ James Martin, JP S/ Jas. Gray

State of North Carolina Wilkes County: SS Personally appeared before me the undersigned a Justice of the peace Captain Samuel Johnson (aged about 78 years) who being duly sworn deposeth and saith that he was a Captain in the Revolutionary War and served under Major Hargroves in the tour to Little River near Fayetteville North Carolina after the Scotch Tories, and recollects well that the above applicant James Gray was a private Soldier in his Company and served with him, and that he the said Captain was discharged for a three months tour at that time but does not recollect the year he served in, – and that he served as Lieutenant in Captain Joel Lewis's Company under Colonel Benjamin Cleveland in the tour to Kings Mountain in 1780, and that the aforesaid James Gray was a Soldier in one of the Companies (in Colonel Cleveland's Regiment) and that he the said Johnson got wounded in the battle at Kings Mountain and was taken home, and left James Gray in the service but does not know how long said Gray served in that tour, but has no doubt but that the above applicant's Statement is Correct, as to the time he served in that tour, – and further that he has been acquainted with the aforesaid James Gray from a boy and knows him to be a man of veracity and that his statement is entitled to as much Credit is any man's. Sworn and subscribed this 13th day of June 1833 before me S/ James Martin, JP S/ Samuel Johnson

[Jesse Adams, a clergyman, gave a standard supporting affidavit.]

[Veteran was pensioned at the rate of $23.33 per annum commencing March 4th, 1831, for service as a private for 7 months in the North Carolina militia.]